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Portland Trail Blazers: LaMarcus Aldridge To Sign With Spurs

By Garrett Beecher

May 14, 2014; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan (left) hugs Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge (right) talk after game five of the second round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at AT&T Center. The Spurs won 104-82. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
May 14, 2014; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan (left) hugs Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge (right) talk after game five of the second round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at AT&T Center. The Spurs won 104-82. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports /
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Fans of the Portland Trail Blazers probably saw this one coming when star forward LaMarcus Aldridge set free agency meetings with the Knicks, Lakers, Suns, Raptors, Spurs, and Heat, but the news still comes as quite a shock.

Aldridge’s announcement, while already devastating to the Portland franchise, couldn’t have happened at a more inconvenient time for the Blazers as it comes on the heels of a flurry of free agency activity in Portland with four of the Blazers’ five starters having reportedly accepted contracts with other teams.

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Damian Lillard will be the lone starter to return next season, but the All-Star will reportedly sign a five-year contract extension that will be worth in excess of $120 million.

Aldridge was the Blazers leading scorer last season, averaging a career-high 23.4 points and 10.2 rebounds per contest and replacing his production will be next to impossible.

As the roster currently stands it appears that second-year man Noah Vonleh will have the responsibility for filling Aldridge’s enormous shoes this coming season, although a free-agent signing or trade could still change that this summer.

For his part, LaMarcus Aldridge leaves the Blazers as their second-leading scorer behind Clyde Drexler and is currently the franchise leader in rebounds after passing Drexler in March. Aldridge will now join the San Antonio Spurs, the team that eliminated the Blazers from the second round of the playoffs in five games two seasons ago.

It’s also no secret that Aldridge welcomed the opportunity to play alongside five-time champion Tim Duncan and he appears to be the future cornerstone of the franchise once Duncan decides to retire.

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